The Salvation Army raised $147.6 million throughout the United States in the 2011 Christmas Red Kettle Campaign. In doing so, they set a fundraising record for the seventh straight year. This is a $5.6 million increase from last year!

We’d like to thank all of our volunteers on the Monterey Peninsula who, during the season, rang the bell, helped collect food and toys and volunteered in our food and toy warehouses. Without you, we could accomplish very little. Thank you for helping make the 2011 Christmas season a successful one, not only for Monterey, but for The Salvation Army everywhere!

Two of our local Salvation Army Soldiers, Rick and Tammy Leidsen, were recently featured in the Huffington Post sharing the story of their struggles of addiction to meth and dealing with serious medical issues, and how they overcame those things with their faith in Christ and love for each other. Check out an excerpt below and read the full story at the Huffington Post.

After blowing an $11,000 inheritance on gambling and meth in just one month, Rick Leidsen, 50, decided he’d had enough of the drugs and enough of living in a van in a Fresno, Calif., parking lot with his girlfriend. He wanted out of a 25-year addiction.

The Monterey Peninsula Corps is proud to have these two in our local corps, serving the community and sharing their inspiring story with others looking for a lost hope.

The Salvation Army Monterey Peninsula Corps is privileged to be able to recognize one of our own supporters for the 2011 Trailblazers of the Year Award. This is an annual award presented by New Frontier Publications to recognize those who serve with The Salvation Army in innovative and exceptional ways.

As President and General Manager of KSBW-TV, Joseph W. Heston is the driving force behind the station’s “Share Your Holiday” telethon that extensively covers The Salvation Army’s work  on the Central Coast in California and benefits the Monterey, Salinas, Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Hollister and Gilroy corps.

Since 1986, the event has raised more than $930,000; 401,000 pounds of food; 56,000 pounds of clothing; and thousands of toys for children at Christmas.

Heston emcees for other Army fundraisers on the Monterey Peninsula throughout the year and volunteers his news anchors to host Monterey’s Red Kettle Kick Off, which raised over $167,000 in 2010. Most recently, he dedicated significant airtime to cover the Army’s relief work in Japan, slotting in spots with instructions on how to donate.

Heston served on advisory boards in both Baltimore and Boston. Currently, his wife, Beth, serves on the Monterey Peninsula Corps’ Advisory Board.

The awards will be presented Saturday, June 11 at 7pm. If you would like to watch the live stream online, click here 15 minutes prior to the start.

In case you missed it in the Daytona 500 or this past weekend in Bristol, here’s a great article about NASCAR driver Morgan Shepard’s “racing ministry.” If you’d like to learn more Morgan and his faith, visit his website RaceWithFaith.com.

Race With Faith

The Salvation Army Red Kettle Cup golf tournament will be held May 6, 2011 at Quail Lodge Golf Club.

Register online or find out more details! Happy golfing!

New world leader announced for The Salvation Army

January 31, 2011

The Salvation Army has today announced its new world leader and the 19th General will be Canadian-born Commissioner Linda Bond.

Commissioner Bond becomes the third woman and the fourth Canadian to hold the post of General of The Salvation Army since the international church and charity organization was founded 146 years ago.

The Commissioner, who currently heads up the church and registered charity’s work in the Australian Eastern Territory, was elected by The High Council of The Salvation Army made up of senior leaders from around the world who met this week in Sunbury-on-Thames near London.

Commissioner Linda Bond (64) will have the title General-elect until she succeeds the current world leader General Shaw Clifton, who retires at the beginning of April.

Once in post as General of The Salvation Army, the Commissioner will become the head of more than one million Salvationists in 123 countries. The Salvation Army also has more than 100,000 employees who between them communicate in 175 different languages.

In recent days and months, The Salvation Army has been involved in relief work in the aftermath of the Australian floods, the devastating mudslide in Brazil, floods in Sri Lanka, and the New Zealand earthquake.

Commissioner Bond comes to the role of General of The Salvation with 42 years experience of Christian ministry and leadership.

Since 2008 Commissioner Bond has headed up The Salvation Army’s work across Eastern Australia, a huge territory with its headquarters in Sydney. This includes the recently devastated state of Queensland where The Salvation Army continues to be heavily involved in assisting victims of widespread flooding.

Prior to this, the Commissioner worked at Salvation Army International Headquarters (IHQ) in London, as the Secretary for Spiritual Life Development and International External Relations. This was her second spell at IHQ where she had previously served as Under Secretary for Personnel in the mid 1990s. As a Salvation Army officer (ordained minister of religion and leader) Commissioner Bond has served in local corps (church) ministry, on the staff of Salvation Army national and regional (divisional) headquarters and as part of the training staff for new officers in her home territory of Canada and Bermuda. During those years she also served as a divisional and subsequently a leader of The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda.

Other appointments have included divisional leadership roles in the Manchester region of the United Kingdom between 1998 and 1999, and as Territorial Leader in the USA Western Territory of The Salvation Army.

Speaking just after her election Commissioner Bond said:

‘I love the Lord Jesus Christ and pledge my utmost obedience to him. I am absolutely committed to a life of praise and thanksgiving to God. We, the Salvation Army need to be an Army of praise and thanksgiving to God and we must place our trust in God. We need his Holy Spirit to come mightily on The Salvation Army.’

Get to know Commissioner Linda Bond (recent interview – December 3)

Camp Redwood Glen Summer Camps will run from June 17-August 3rd, 2010. For more information on camps, summer employment, and other inquiries, call your local Salvation Army or check out: http://tsaredwoodglen.org.

To read about the recent Camp Redwood Glen reunion and re-dedication, click the following link:  Salvation Army reunion celebrates long local history in Scotts Valley (via Santa Cruz Sentinel)

If you live on the Monterey Peninsula and are interested in Summer Camp, call Melissa at (831) 899-4911.

Are you on Facebook? If so, become a Fan of the Monterey Peninsula Corps today to get an inside look at the work going here on the Monterey Peninsula!

Last week was an exciting time for the Monterey Peninsula Salvation Army. The cast and crew of the upcoming movie Carmel was on-site filming a few scenes in our building. The movie is directed by local director Lawrence Roeck and stars Lauren Bacall, Josh Hutcherson, Hayden Panettiere, Alfred Molina and Dina Eastwood.

Lauren Bacall with Ted Elisee, Director of Advancement for The Salvation Army Monterey